


In the light of dawn

by LesbianDragon_LD



Category: LOVE BAKUDAN (Visual Novel)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Boss/Employee Relationship, Dark Past, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Mobster boss, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Past Relationship(s), Teasing, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vulnerability, idk if enemies to lovers is the best tag for it but it's complicated, tags will be added as chapters are added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:02:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29947638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianDragon_LD/pseuds/LesbianDragon_LD
Summary: For one reason or another, Teru seemed to change after that particular day. And Yuki couldn't stop thinking about her.It was as if, after having spent so much time by her side, Yuki had finally started to see Teru in a different light.Slow and steady, things became more clear. Like the light of dawn, blooming into a sunrise.
Relationships: Teru Tokugawa/Yuki Miyanagi
Kudos: 4





	In the light of dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this is my 100th fic!
> 
> Originally I had something else planned for this occasion, but my feelings changed.  
> I've played Love Bakudan recently and I love this game and its characters a lot, so what better way to celebrate 100 fics than with writing something I enjoy and care a lot about? And that's how this fic came to be!
> 
> It's set during Himeko's route, which is one of (if not the first choice) my fave routes in the whole game, simply because my fave ship becomes canon in the background.  
> I though it was interesting to imagine it from Yuki and Teru's perspectives, so here we are.  
> SPOILERS: since it's set during Himeko's route, contains spoilers for Himeko's route, Yuki's route and Teru's route though.
> 
> I got so invested in writing that the fic (originally a simple smut oneshot) started to become bigger and bigger, so I decided to break it down to smaller chapters which I'll try to finish/update soon.
> 
> And lastly, if you haven't played Love Bakudan yet and you're a fan of LGBT+ Visual Novels...please go buy the game and play it! It's really good!!

‘Unless Teru and I surprise each other and end up getting married from falling hopelessly in love...I think I’m probably going to be chained to her for a long time.’

Her own words rang in her ears, as Yuki continued to walk down the street.  
What she had told Haruka when bumping into her had been true;

Teru was acting strangely nicer lately, but not nice enough to redeem herself. Not yet, at least.

Yuki still despised her. After all, anyone would, after everything that Teru had done…

So why did Yuki feel this way?

Teru was always on her mind as of late.

First, Yuki had only wondered why Teru had been so nice in the first place, and why she was slowly changing to become more and more tolerable. It was nothing more than curiosity and, of course, fear that this was just another one of her filthy schemes.

But even her filthy schemes showed their ugly heads in due time, and Teru had never asked for anything in exchange for her kindness. She wasn’t hiding anything, and she certainly wasn’t gaining much from it other than them getting into less and less arguments.  
Sure, that could be her goal, for one strange reason or another...but to Yuki, no matter how she looked at it and thought about it, it just seemed like Teru had...grown up.

Which was something ironic to say, considering she was actually older by half a dozen years.

But really, she did seem to have matured quite a bit. Or maybe not mature, exactly...no, in fact...she started to resemble the Teru that Yuki once knew and admired. Before things took a dark turn and they got caught up in the mess that seemed to change Teru for the worst.

And honestly, that’s where the problem started.  
As Teru started to slowly change for the better, so did Yuki’s feelings started to change once again.  
Little by little, almost subcounsciously, these tiny thoughts started to show more and more.

Thoughts of...finding Teru charming. Of wanting Teru’s attention. Of wanting affection between them…

These thoughts had always been there, as Yuki was ever so ashamed to admit...but they never surfaced quite as much, and were often gone as soon as Teru ruined things and fucked up so bad that she’d unintentionally remind Yuki of her hatred for her. Reminding her that Teru was the selfish asshole who ruined her life.

Yet things were different now, and Yuki found herself feeling these conflicting feelings more and more. Not only more, but more intensely as well.

Such as sarcastically suggesting to Haruka that she could fall madly in love with Teru.  
Seriously, what the fuck was she thinking? And saying such a thing, even as a joke, to Haruka, of all people-

Yuki stopped walking, taking a second to pinch the bridge of her nose.  
She shook her head, trying to compose herself.  
And then, as her walking resumed, so did her thought process.

She could hide it from others around her...but she couldn’t lie to herself, regardless of the shame that washed over her.  
Lately, there had been moments where Teru had been more sincere and nice to her...moments where her mind wandered off to forbidden places, regardless of her attempt at mental restraint...places, that ranged from wanting Teru to wrap an arm around her shoulders in an embrace to wanting Teru to wrap her legs around her waist as-

Even for thoughts inside her head, this was dangerous territory that was starting to make her face become flushed.  
And Yuki hated every single minute of it, as she unlocked the door and stomped inside the bar.

“Whoa, what happened to you? You look worse than I do!” Yuki heard a familiar voice address her.

Of course she was already here. 

Coming into her sight, Teru was sitting down behind the counter, with a drink in hand.

Yuki could only shoot Teru a bored look, and sigh into oblivion.

“Nothing. Just thinking about some things.” Came as Yuki’s cold yet honest reply, as she made her way behind the counter as well...not to join Teru, but rather to get ready to start working as soon as she was required to.

She expected Teru to be nosy as always, demanding that Yuki gave her every detail of what was going on in her mind. Or at least, that she’s try to fish something out of her...or in the very very very least, she’d reply with some teasing remark, trying to bicker with her…

But Teru didn’t.  
Not this time.

Instead-

“Hey, come here!” Teru called out to her, “I have something that’s going to cheer you up…”

It smelled fishy but Yuki had to admit that she was curious.  
Already wary of Teru, she moved a bit closer to her, but still while being at arm’s length.

“What is it?” Yuki asked her, as Teru scoffed at Yuki’s suspicion.

Yuki wanted to give her an earful just for that, but Teru quickly caught her attention once she pointed at something.  
Yuki’s eyes followed Teru’s finger to a corner of the room that she had, apparently, overlooked once she came in.

Where there once were a few extra chairs and a rather empty space, there was now a giant table covered in a white sheet.

“What-” Yuki started to ask, but Teru intervened by getting up, and walking up to the said table.

With every step she took, she had a mischievous grin planted across her face, and Yuki didn’t enjoy it one bit.  
Once Teru finally reached the…’thing’...she pulled the sheets down.  
And revealed that the thing wasn’t indeed just a big table, but rather-

“A pool table?” Yuki let out in surprise.

“Ha, no!” Teru chuckled, “correction, darling: it’s a snooker table.”

Yuki raised an eyebrow;

“So, who did you steal it from?”

Teru let out a fake gasp, dramatically pretending to be hurt.

“So cruel to me, my dear…” Teru fake pouted, before getting a bit more serious again, “but once again, you’re mistaken. I actually bought this baby from an old friend.”

Yuki rolled her eyes.  
But to her surprise, Teru actually place the sheets back over the snooker table.

“What gives? Aren’t you going to set it up for customers today?” Yuki asked her, almost in disbelief that Teru was doing something that was the exact opposite of attracting money and customers.

“Nay,” Teru replied, as she got the table as hidden as it was before, “it’s my toy, so I want to be the first to try it. After I’m all alone when I close the bar tonight.”

A laugh escaped Yuki’s lips, finding it too funny and even, dare she say, ‘cute’ of Teru. This was bizarre, even for Teru standards...but Yuki wasn’t about to waste her breath on something so trivial.

“Suit yourself!” Yuki let out, taking out cleaning supplies to clean up the place a bit before customers arrived.

As usual, Teru retired to the backroom to do what the gods know what while keeping an eye out, as she did almost every night.  
And as usual, work went smoothly. When Teru wasn’t causing any troubles or calling attention to anything, the nights were chill and tolerable. The only major occurrence were some of the customers asking Yuki about the strange object underneath the sheets, but she’d just shrug and pretend as if she had no idea, and they usually left their conversation at that.

The hours passed and eventually, 3am rolled around.

Teru walked out of the backroom, turning every sign from “open” to “closed” as they both waited for the last person to leave.  
Until they were all alone.

Before Yuki could even get ready to go home, Teru came to her.

“Want to play with me? Just one game? I saw you eyeing it from time to time in the security cameras…”

Her brain told Yuki to scream a firm “no” but...in truth, she really was curious, and wanted to stay for a bit. Even if just to see how Teru fared in snooker...after all, she could miss a golden opportunity of Teru making a fool of herself, and Yuki definitely wouldn’t want to miss that for the world. Not only that, but Yuki genuinely liked to play...and as such-

“You know what? One game. I’ll give you one game, Teru.”

Teru merely grinned, genuinely pleased.

“Eh, I knew I was charming and absolutely irresistible!” Teru chuckled, as Yuki ignored her remark.

Teru moved the sheets yet again, as Yuki followed her.  
Teru started to set things up while Yuki waited with her arms crossed, leaning against the nearest wall. She watched Teru struggle ever so slightly when it came to coating the cues with chalk, and it made Yuki wonder about things.

“So…” Yuki started to strike up a conversation while she waited, “are you a huge fan of the game, or…?”

Teru seemed a bit surprised.

“Oh...talkative today, aren’t we?” Teru teased before answering, “but no, not quite. My friend wanted to get rid of it for remodelling reasons, so she gave me a special price that was just too good to let slide. I’ve played a bit before, but I can’t say I’m a fan.”

Teru handed Yuki her cue, and offered her the first shot to break up the triangle of balls.

“How about you, hot stuff? You’re a fan?” Teru asked her as Yuki focused on her shot.

To Teru’s luck, Yuki decided to ignore her teasing once again.

“Not a huge fan, but I had an ex who loved it,” Yuki started to explain, and even without looking at Teru, she could feel the amused and mocking look brewing on her face, “so because of her, I’ve played quite often and know a thing or two.”

Once it was Teru’s turn to play, however, Yuki noticed that Teru seemed a bit...off, in her shot. At first, Yuki shrugged it off as a slip. But the more Teru played terrible shots, the more Yuki became bothered.

“What are you doing?” Yuki finally let out just before Teru took another crappy shot.

Teru’s eyes met Yuki’s, with Teru showing surprise and confusion.

“I’m...playing?” Teru retorted, but even she didn’t seem so sure herself as she uttered those words, “you’re having better luck but-”

“Better luck? Teru, this isn’t better luck.” Yuki started to scold her, “I’m actually playing the game, unlike you, who’s just trying to hit whatever, without thinking of a strategy and using full force, like a brute.”

Teru scoffed, but her lips soon formed a cunning smile.

“Perhaps you should teach me then, professor-”

Yuki sighed with annoyance, but instead of ignoring Teru as Teru assumed she would, Yuki rounded the table to stand next to her. And as Teru looked down at her in disbelief, Yuki grabbed her arms, one by one, moving Teru’s limp limbs like a puppet.

Yuki was scolding her as she guided Teru into a proper position, but Teru could only hear half of it as her mind focused on Yuki touching her-

“-and for fuck’s sake Teru, see that you straighten your back unless you want to dislocate your spine-”

When Teru’s mind finally came back down to earth, Yuki was done.  
She had stepped a few feet away from her, leaving Teru in a strange position...but one that seemed a lot more professional, somehow.

“Now,” Yuki continued to instruct, “just let the cue slide between your fingers gently- and don’t you dare laugh at that. You’re twenty nine, not nine.”

It was too late, as Teru was already laughing to herself.  
But after a moment she, surprisingly, got serious again. She tried to focus on her shot, as Yuki both encouraged and reminded her of being gentle, pointing at the balls she was meant to hit with just the right amount of strength.

And with a little push-

“Fuck!” Teru cursed as she accidentally hit too hard, ruining her own strategy by a bit. But only a bit.

“Not too bad, actually…” Yuki quietly commented, comparing this much better shot to Teru’s previous messes.

Teru stepped away slightly, gesturing for Yuki to play next.  
But Yuki shook her head;

“Come on, let’s keep practising your shots.”

Now that was interesting, Teru thought.

“Aw, do you enjoy teaching me stuff? How cute, but I’d prefer you taught me some other...things…” Teru purred, only for Yuki to glare daggers at her.

It got a laugh out of Teru, before those imaginary daggers started to make the hairs on the back of her head stand up. No matter how powerful and dangerous Teru was, Yuki could certainly match her when she was angry...so Teru did the smart move of shushing, as Yuki continued to teach her how to play.

“Besides, I’m only teaching you because no matter how funny it is to me to just see you struggle with such a simple game, it’s starting to get boring to win so easily…” Yuki huffed as she pushed her hair behind her shoulders...but Teru could’ve sworn that she saw a faint blush on Yuki’s cheeks when she said that.

Teru would tease her about it, if she didn’t feel her own blush trying to creep in her face.

Time passed as Yuki continued to teach Teru, and Teru continued to improve at the game.  
They were both so focused that they barely made small talk, and didn’t even notice the hours going by until the first rays of sunshine started to illuminate the room.

“Is it really morning already?” Yuki mumbled, as she checked her watch to confirm that it was already past 5am.

Yet even before checking the time, Yuki had already noticed it in a way.  
Her eyelids were getting heavy, and her headaches were slowly getting worse.  
She hadn’t slept that well in days, and her lack of sleep was finally catching up to her…

“Do you want to eat breakfast, darling?” 

Teru’s question snapped Yuki back into reality, making her forget just how tired she truly was for a few moments.

“Breakfast? Really?” Yuki retorted, “Teru, I don’t think whiskey and snacks at 5am can count as breakfa- ack!”

Sudden and stinging pain interrupted Yuki. She felt as if someone was stabbing her head from the inside, with a pain so strong that it had even worried Teru.  
Somehow Yuki lost her balance, only for Teru to catch her in her arms.

“Hey, you were fine a while ago...what’s wrong?” Teru asked her in a surprisingly gentle and worried voice, holding Yuki close to her.

“Sleep deprivation…” Yuki groaned, “Teru, just...just let me rest for a while. My head is spinning…”

Teru lifted Yuki up, carrying her in bridal style to the back room, their game now forgotten as the only thing on Teru’s mind was Yuki’s health. And surprisingly, Yuki didn’t complain. She was too tired, nestling herself closer to Teru’s body as Teru carried her...which only made Teru worry even more, knowing this was serious.

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself too hard. You should’ve told me...I would’ve called Chinami to take you home, given you the day off-” Teru started to scold her, but Yuki interrupted her with a sad laugh;

“You never...you...you’re the one who pushes me to my limit…always...”

Yuki’s voice trailed off as she started to lose consciousness, catching a glimpse of Teru’s pained expression before she closed her eyes, with the sound of Teru’s voice calling for her and begging her to stay awake getting more and more distant…

It felt like Yuki had fallen asleep. And in a way, she did.  
But she had indeed passed out.  
And once she opened her eyes again, she realized that she was laying down on top of a huge couch turned into a makeshift bed of sorts.

A quick glance around the room made Yuki recognize her surroundings as the bar’s back room. Teru had a sort of ‘improvised home’ in there, complete with a bedroom space and private bathroom, for when she had to hide or simply needed to spend time alone, away from everyone else. 

And of course, sitting at her desk only a few inches away from her, was Teru herself. Watching over Yuki like a nurse.

Yuki opened her mouth to ask questions, but Teru was one step ahead;

“You passed out from exhaustion,” Teru explained, “but as soon as I realized that you were just sleeping soundly, I laid you down somewhere comfortable and quiet. Your pulse was normal, your body didn’t do anything weird and you just seemed really tired, so I wanted you to rest...it’s only been an hour or so since you fell asleep though, I really didn’t expect you to wake up so soon…”

Yuki sighed, and reclined back on the couch, allowing herself to sink on the soft pillows.  
She murmured a “thank you” to Teru, before closing her eyes again and taking deep breaths.  
Her mind was still trying to process everything, as she didn’t usually pass out like that.

Teru was quick to sit down beside her, bringing her a bottle of cold water that Yuki accepted.  
Her throat was dry, and her head still felt painful headaches.

“Do you want me to take you home? Or call you a cab or something?” Teru asked her, but this time, she wasn’t playful.

“That’s alright,” Yuki answered, “I just need a moment to compose myself and then I can walk home.”

There was a moment of awkward silence, and Yuki noticed that Teru was avoiding eye contact.

“Yuki, you, uh...you don’t need to come to work for the next few days, if you don’t feel well. You can take your time to recover…you know that, right?”

Yuki could see Teru shift slightly, scratching the back of her head as if she was somewhat nervous...or, at least, as if something was on her mind.  
Still, it was...unexpectedly kind of her.

“Teru...thank you.” Yuki smiled at her.

Teru gave her an awkward nod, and then they found themselves in awkward silence yet again. Yuki could tell that, for one reason or another, Teru seemed to be extremely shaken up, even if she tried to hide her. So much so, that Yuki almost missed her annoying teasing.

As if she had read Yuki’s mind, Teru broke the silence with a grin, as she tried to hide her nervousness;

“So...that ex of yours you were telling me about...who was she?”

“What, do you think I’ll give you her name so that you can go bust her kneecaps or something? In your dreams, Teru,” Yuki couldn’t help laughing, “besides, it’s really none of your business.”

“Feisty,” Teru chuckled, “I’m just curious to know how that went. Did she break up with you? Or the other way around? Or was it mutual or-”

“None. Of. Your. Business.” Yuki huffed, pretending to be reluctant...but the truth was that she was both bored, and curious to see where this was going. So she decided to indulge.

“But, for the record, I was the one to break up with her,” Yuki let out after a bit, “and since I already know that you’re just going to ask, I can tell you that I broke up with her because she was terrible to me.”

“Oh...that bad in bed, uh?” Teru teased, only for Yuki to roll her eyes.

“I broke up with her because I hated her.”

The way that Yuki had said that, so straight forward and devoid of emotion, made chills run through Teru’s body, for one reason or another.

“She was...horrible to me, really,” Yuki continued to explain, as if she hadn’t noticed Teru’s reaction, “controlling, prone to anger, aggressive, demanding...and she treated me as if I was her property.”

Yuki then looked back at Teru, and caught her playing with one of her rings in her hand, as if she was trying to distract herself on purpose.  
Yuki had a feeling about why that was.  
She had a feeling that for Teru, this was hitting close to home. As it should have.

“Teru…” Yuki called out, but her voice trailed off once she noticed Teru tremble slightly.

“Do you hate me?” Teru spat out, and Yuki could feel that even her voice was shaky and nervous, “I mean, do you...do you really hate me? For real? I know I’m...you know, but I don’t..Yuki, I really don’t...I never meant to...”

Teru’s voice became shakier, and it felt as if she was holding back tears.  
As if she had a mix of negative emotions, from sadness to anger, that she was starting to lose control over.

Teru was starting to freak out in a way that Yuki had never witnessed before, so unaware of how to react, Yuki merely followed her instincts. She propped herself up, moving to sit next to Teru and placing a hand on her back, rubbing small circles in an attempt to calm Teru down.

“Breath…” Yuki found herself whispering to Teru.

“I am breathing-” Teru huffed immediately after, defensive...but Yuki could see that she was trying to take her advice, trying to breath in and out to become more stable.

Yuki continued to touch Teru’s back, until her boss was starting to regain her composure.  
When Teru breathed out one last time and finally seemed more calm again.

“Teru…” Yuki sighed, “look...I don’t hate you. I don’t actually hate you that much, at least...but you know how miserable this situation makes me, don’t you? I never wanted to hate you, but I can’t like someone who forces me to stay…”

The discomfort over Teru’s face was clear as day. She almost looked to be ashamed, heart broken...and Yuki knew that at this moment, she could reach her.

She surprised Teru by taking her hands in hers, and locking her eyes with Teru’s.

“Please, Teru…” Yuki pleaded, “just tell me why you do this to me. You owe me that much...just...just tell me why you refuse to allow me to be free. Do you hate me that much? Why do you always seem so...so…”

Yuki could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She was just so tired, and desperate, and confused-

“I don’t hate you, Yuki.” Teru suddenly confessed.

With unexpected gentleness, Teru wiped Yuki’s tears with her thumb.  
Her hand lingered over Yuki’s cheek, caressing her gently until Teru became aware of what she was doing, and immediately retreated her hand away from Yuki.

“It’s...it’s just complicated, alright?” Teru continued in a low voice, “but I don’t hate you, Yuki...god, I just...it’s not like that, it’s the opposite-”

Teru’s face was once again burning up, as her body betrayed her once more.  
No matter how much she tried to fight it, the flush across her face was very much noticeable.  
And Yuki noticed it too.

“Teru...just talk to me…”

Despite Yuki’s pleas, Teru was still reluctant. But Yuki could see that her reluctance wasn’t born out of malice, or out of stubbornness even. Teru did seem like she wanted to talk, often opening her mouth to speak...but no words ever came out, no matter what she tried to do.  
It was as if what she wanted to say was at the tip of her tongue, but something else made her hesitate...as if she just didn’t know how to say it.

That’s when Yuki noticed that she was still holding Teru’s hand, which was now trembling.  
She had never seen her boss this vulnerable, nor did she think that she was capable of these emotions.  
It almost made Yuki feel bad...almost…

“I never wanted to hate you, Teru…” Yuki told her, “when we met, I actually liked you a lot. I thought you were so nice, and brave, and amazing, and attractive…I thought that maybe you...I don’t know. That maybe, you were a good person...I thought that...I don’t know...”

Yuki could feel Teru’s attention on her, feeling Teru eye her with curiosity, as if she was trying to determine if Yuki was being honest or not.  
But Yuki was being truthful, feeling like she was even unintentionally oversharing a bit about her confusing feelings, as her heart started to beat faster and her face became flushed to match Teru’s.

“I just liked you. I...I just really liked you a lot…maybe more than what you can imagine or believe...” Yuki continued to shyly confess, “but when that incident happened...when you and your sister came into my house and...god, Teru, why did you have to be like that? Why couldn’t you just forgive me after everything I’ve been through? Even after Ayame passed away...if you’d let me go then...if you really cared about me back then, like you used to...I could...we could just…”

Yuki’s voice was trailing off, as her confusing feelings became more of a mess.  
And she was so tired too...tired and confused...done with having to deal with all of this…

Yuki covered her face, letting out a long sigh onto her hands.

“I could have forgiven you, at least.” Yuki finally let out.

Another moment of awkward silence filled the room for a few minutes.  
And then, she felt Teru’s hand tentatively touch her shoulder.  
Hesitant, afraid...but caring. Trying.  
And Yuki knew that if she hadn’t broken Teru’s walls, she had at least made a crack in them.

“I’m...I’m sorry, Yuki…” she heard Teru whisper in defeat, in a serious tone that she had never heard from Teru before, almost as if she was a completely different person than the sarcastic and aloof Teru that she was so used to seeing, “I never meant to take things this far, for whatever that’s worth. But I really am sorry. I really thought that maybe you...that maybe, being beside me wasn’t all that bad. That maybe, deep down, you liked being here a bit...that we could...work things out. But seeing the way you talked to Haruka, seeing you care so much about her and treat her so well, I just wanted-”

Teru stopped herself suddenly, as if she was about to say something that she wasn’t supposed to.  
But then, she smiled softly at Yuki. With a sad smile that didn’t reach her eyes, as if she was trying to hide her true feelings with her usual grin...except this time, her mischievous grin was broken too.

“I don’t expect forgiveness. Part of me never really did. Part of me always knew how you felt about me, I think...knew feelings that I wanted to ignore, and pretend weren’t like they weren’t there…” Teru continued to explain, even though Yuki had no idea of what she was talking about, “but I’ll make things right.”

Yuki wanted to ask questions, but her sleep was once again catching up to her.  
Teru had noticed it too as they talked. The way that Yuki sighed, and yawned on occasion, as her eyes blinked more and more as she tried to stay awake, and her body started to become more limp as she unintentionally leaned into Teru.

Yuki was just so sleepy, barely even noticing that her head was resting against Teru’s shoulder.

“Do you promise?” Yuki let out, half asleep.

“What are we, fourth graders? Do you want me to pinky swear or something?” Teru teased her, surprised and happy to receive a chuckle from Yuki, before her voice became more soft again, “but yeah...I promise.”

“That’s good…” Yuki murmured, before her eyes closed again and she fell, once again, into slumber.


End file.
